The Dallas Cowboys woke up on Monday morning filled with regret following a disastrous Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The home-opening defeat has shed some light on the Cowboys’ handful of issues, including those that pertain to the backfield.
Dallas owns one of the NFL’s least productive ground offenses through two games, averaging just 85.0 rushing yards per game (25th). Considering how the Cowboys averaged 112.9 rushing yards per outing in 2023, it’s easy to see why fans are disappointed by the team’s RB room — especially Ezekiel Elliott following his offseason return.
Cowboys News: Ezekiel Elliott’s Return is a Bust
While nobody expected the 2016 or 2018 version of himself upon his return, Elliott has left much to be desired through two weeks. The former Ohio State product has only rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
A lot of fans thought that a return to Dallas would help him improve on his 2023 numbers, however, that hasn’t been the case as proven by his 3.5 yards per carry — the same rate that he had last year behind a terrible New England Patriots offensive line. Things look even worse when you realize that five of Elliott’s six carries in Week 2 went for three or fewer yards.
Despite how much Cowboys fans love Elliott, it’s clear that he’s no longer the player he once was. And the worst part is that everyone seemingly knew he was declining except Jerry Jones (or at least he didn’t care).
Elliott no longer has the strength or speed that once struck fear into defenders across the NFL. His declining athleticism is a big reason why Pro Football Focus has given him a run grade of 49.1 — the third-worst mark among 43 eligible RBs to begin the 2024 season.
Elliott’s signing looks even grimmer when you take the Cowboys’ offseason moves (or lack thereof) into account. After Tony Pollard left in free agency, Dallas decided not to sign free agent RBs like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, instead choosing to wait until Elliott was the ‘best’ apple left in a rotten bunch.
His return has been so disappointing that it’s at the point where he’s being mocked across social media.
The official FanDuel Sportsbook account on X (formerly Twitter) compared Elliott’s return to 89-year-old World War II veteran Bryan Sperry, who scored a touchdown during a University of Kansas alumni flag football game in 2015.
“Every single play that Ezekiel Elliott is the focus for the offense is a wasted rep,” an angry Cowboys fan posted during the game. “The reunion was cute, Yay. Get someone in here that can outrun a linebacker.”
“We really brought back an old Ezekiel Elliott,” another frustrated fan posted with a frustrated emoji. “This team is so [expletive].”
We’ll see how the Cowboys respond to their latest loss when they host the winless Baltimore Ravens for a tough Week 3 matchup. Dallas certainly wouldn’t mind if Elliott stepped up on Sunday afternoon given that America’s Team is projected to be the 1.5-point underdog at AT&T Stadium, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jerry Jones Makes First Comments on Cowboys’ Demoralizing Week 2 Loss
The Cowboys were humiliated in Week 2 by the Saints, losing 44-19 in a game that never felt as close as even that disastrous score suggests.
Dallas should be embarrassed and there’s plenty of blame to go around, but they now have to quickly turn around and get ready for a tilt against a desperate Ravens squad in Week 2. Jerry Jones is no stranger to public comments and wasted no time in declaring his disappointment with his team’s effort.
While admitting it was a poor performance, Jones assured fans that the Cowboys would improve and grow from this mess.
Jerry Jones Offers First Comments on Awful Cowboys Week 2 Loss
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: “Extraordinarily disappointing. We will correct this. We will improve.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 15, 2024
“Extraordinarily disappointing,” Jones said. “We will correct this. We will improve.”
He’d better hope so, or else creative offensive coaches will continue exploiting Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer’s defense. Dak Prescott failed to keep his team in the game once things went south, eerily reminiscent of the home playoff loss to the Packers in 2023.
Despite his claims that the Cowboys were “all-in” for a Super Bowl this year, Jones failed to make significant improvements to the roster. On paper, this is an inferior team to last season’s squad, and that group wasn’t good enough to make any noise in the postseason.
It looks like this could be a long year for Dallas fans, but Prescott and the defense can turn things around with a victory AGAINST Baltimore. The Ravens are off to a 0-2 start after their own awful loss to the Raiders, so we’ll see two desperate teams putting forth their best game plans.
Unfortunately for Jones, that typically favors the opponent. As long as McCarthy is at the helm, it doesn’t look like significant improvements will come despite Jones’ insistence in public.
Jerry Jones Sounds Salty Cowboys Didn’t Sign Derrick Henry Ahead of Ravens Clash
The Dallas Cowboys had a frustrating offseason with a couple of perplexing roster moves. Their decisions in the running back room were especially questionable as the Cowboys parted ways with Tony Pollard and replaced him by bringing back Ezekiel Elliott. Close to the start of the season, they added Dalvin Cook to the practice squad but he has yet to make his Cowboys debut.
Through the first two games of the season, Cowboys fans are understandably frustrated with the production of their running backs. Zeke is averaging 3.5 yards per carry and he has put up a total of 81 yards from scrimmage. Rico Dowdle, who got the start over Elliott in Week 2, is not faring much better, averaging 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, and adding 91 total yards from scrimmage.
It sounds like it’s not just the fanbase that is frustrated with the RB situation. Jerry Jones spoke to 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday and his remarks could certainly be understood as regret. When talking about the Ravens’ star rusher Derrick Henry, he said that they needed to get ready to do other things rather than “regret or lament on whether or not we signed one of those players we’re playing Sunday”.
NFL News: Jerry Jones Clearly Regrets Not Signing Derrick Henry
Jerry Jones on Derrick Henry: “He’s a top running back we’ve got other things that we’ve got to get ready to do other than just regret or lament on whether or not we signed one of those players we’re playing Sunday.” @1053thefan
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) September 17, 2024
Henry was a free agent in the offseason after spending eight years in Tennessee. He signed with Baltimore on a two-year, $16 million deal. In his first two starts, he had 130 rushing yards on 31 carries and already scored two touchdowns.
The Ravens, who are surprisingly 0-2 to start the season despite Henry’s solid performances, are looking to right the ship on Sunday against the Cowboys. On FanDuel Sportsbook, Dallas is a 1.5-point home underdog against Baltimore.